If anyone out there has been invited to attend Bill Gothard's Basic Seminar or to sign up for homeschooling with his ATI homeschooling organization, please be forewarned.

There are documents, reports, and testimonies from victims of this organization and its leader coming out weekly. So far, 34 women claim to have been sexually harassed at headquarters; many were in their teens when it happened.

Many young people have abandoned the faith due to the oppressive legalism experienced in ATI and families have been broken and destroyed (this according to young Christian men and women who grew up in the organization and its culture, as well as many parents).

You can find out all about it at a Christian website put up by over a dozen former ATI students and parents: RecoveringGrace.org

I am a retired public school teacher - BUT I have always been for parental choice if they want to homeschool- I have seen what goes on in public schools and teachers' hands tied to do anything about it.

That said- 30 years ago I helped a homeschool family who used Gothard materials with their children. I was impressed with how God was brought into every lesson. Then they moved. I got a position at a public school (which I knew was something that Gothard warned against but my lifestyle of horses, cats, art and wearing jeans, cowboy boots AND married without children automatically disqualified me from ever being part of the Gothard or any other legalist life style.)

BUT after visiting Recovering Grace and reading the stories by those who suffered abuse, legalism and squashing of their personalities, I am highly suspect that Gothard is not the man he has made himself out to be.

I hope this forum does not do the same thing and squash what may appear to be an "evil report" when in actuality it is a report about evil.

I am sure there are others with outgoing or a different kind of personality who may not line up exactly with what Gothard/legalism/QF and other legalist sects of Christianity says is how you are supposed to live in order to bring God's blessings on your life, who would like to hear about those who have not seen the success that was promised by following those sects' rules. (Phew, that was a long sentence but I could not figure out how to make it shorter.)